The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-04-08
PUNISHMENT AT SING SING.
The Pain OF Being Hung by the Wrists
and the Horrors OF the Dark Cell.


paratively small for that place, that has
a cleaner anu brighter appearance than
any other room H. the entire institu.
ton, the chaplain's Office not excepted
The entrance is on n level with the
ground, the entire center is taken up
by framework of brick that is hollow
ed out on two sides into cells, and the
entire place is rs white as lime can
make IT, The tagged corridor running
around the cells is spotless, and the
place is as quiet rs tomb The cells are
perfectly bare OF furniture, and are, for
the greater part of the time, empty.
They are doubly guarded for besides
the usual heavy grated door they have
door made of planks that sets in close
to the masonry. They are in striking
contrast to the walls, for they are paint
ed black. A raised section of wood
, into the cell through winding channels,
! through which not even the faintcst
ray of light can force its way. As
cheerful as the place looks to the visit
or, il is bugbear to the prisoners, for
these are the dark cells
This is one of the two forms of pun
ishment inflicted upon the refractory
prisoners in Sing Sing, and it's punish
ment so horrible that the mere threat
of dark cell carries with it more ter
rors than the actual inhction of the
other punishment, which consists OF
stringing up prisoners by their wrists.
The apparatus for this is in the same
building, and consists of piece of
heavy timber about eighteen inches
Sa,arc that slides up and down in a
hove. In the center of the square is
ahook. The victim is handcutled and
the link connecting the cuffs is slipp ed
over this hook, and the block is raised
up until the prisoners feet leave the
floor This point is generally signal
ed by n scream from the unhappy
wretch who is suspended, Principal
Keeper Connaughton said not more
than fifteen or twenty seconds
II have seen statements to the effect
said he, shat blood frequently gushes
from the wrists of the prisoners pun
ished in this way; that it often Grip
Piles them for life; that prisoners are
shung up for five or ten minutes. and
that the punishment is frequently in
fcted. None of these statements is
true. In the first place, no living man
could stand being strung up as long a
time as that. The punishment is not
inflicted here once 4 month, and dur
ing my long experience in prison |
have never known Of blood being
forced through the skin by the pres
sure. A short time ago party of yisi-
tors were shown through here. One of
them was n man about q years of age.
He had an idea that men were hung
up by the wrists for hours at time.
When told him that the punishment
never lasted more than few seconds
he was not inclined to believe it. !
sent for pair of hand cuffs, and he
consented to let me hang him up for
few seconds. Just rs soon as the strain
began he cried out, and his toes had
scarcely left the ground before he was
imploring me to let him down. There
was a faint red line around his wrists,
and that was all. "
As terrible as this punishment is It Is
nothing compared to the agonles suf-
fered by the prisoner who is locked up
in dark cell A young fellow was
taken to Sing Sing about year ago to
serve five years sentence. He began
his term of Imprisonment by disobeying
every order given him by the keepers.
He was reasoned with, and efforts
were made to show him that he was
hurting nobody as much as he was
hurting himself. But he was both lazy
and vicious, and he was strung up by
the wrists. The punishment kept him
straight for few days, but 1t was soon
found necessary to string him up again.
The second punishment seemed to have
no effect, and then he was placed in
dark cell. At the expiration of few
hours the door was opened, and the
young man rushed out with a face as
pale as death, and shaking in every
limb. He behaved himself for aweeK.
and then fell into his old way again.